Workshops That Work Effective workshops follow the four Ps formula: right purpose, right people, right process and right preparation. These are simple principles that are routinely missed, at great cost to companies and organisations. Put the four Ps in place and you...

Clear goals or shared goals? Global teams consistently report frustration with their goals. How on earth can this be? Setting goals is management 101. We live in an era which is in love with goals. There is an army of TLA (three letter abbreviations) and MLA (multi...

Is your team shoveling two tonnes or twenty tonnes a day? Frederick Taylor was the high priest of scientific, or rational, management. To his followers he was a saint who led the productivity revolution at the start of the 20th century. He enabled workers to achieve...

Technology and global teams: heaven and hell If you want to find the most innovative ways of global working, look at how some of the smallest global firms do it. Three firms in the research for Global Teams each qualified as micro-global firms. Each had less than...

What is the point of expats? Expats are hugely expensive. They are also not highly effective, at least to start with as they work out how the local culture and local business works. Often, they may not even speak the local language. If you are sent on an expat...

Who has the exotic culture? We are all heroes of our own life stories, and everyone else is just a bit part player. We are like medieval scientists: we think we are at the centre of our universe. As a global team player, we need to recognise that the world does not...

Ten top tips for running a global team How do you manage a team you can’t see, you don’t know and who are separated by time zones, language, culture and regulations? Welcome to the challenge of leading a global team. Meet your team. Even the most high tech firms find...

Making Global Teams Work Many people have written about globalisation, global strategy, global organisation and culture. No one has looked at the plumbing of how globalisation actually works. Global Teams, out next week, is the first book to do this. Here is what it...

The challenge of global teams: friction Global teams face the same challenge as global supply chains: friction. Friction in a supply is like throwing sand in the engine of a car: everything seizes up very fast. Lean manufacturing means that a hold up for customs,...

Why global teams require exceptional leaders Leading any team is hard work. Here are ten ways in which a global team puts even greater demands on the team leader. Expectations are higher. You are not competing against the talent pool in your local office. You are...